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How to Fill Your Restaurant to the Brim EVERY Weekend.

So you’re a restaurant owner that needs more customers on the weekend?

When restaurants are struggling to get customers through the door, SEO can be the answer. The terms “restaurants” and “restaurants near me” are two of the most searched for terms on the internet, which means that search engine optimisation is an ideal way of attracting customers who may have otherwise never heard about your restaurant. The result is a restaurant with the potential to grow substantially.

The Importance of Local SEO
According to a recent survey completed by Open Table, 85 per cent of respondents in the U.K. admitted they “always” or “frequently” look to the internet when searching for a restaurant. In fact, Single Platform has found that 75 per cent of customers report they frequently choose where to dine based on local search results. Local SEO improves your ranking when a local search is performed and puts your restaurant near the top of the list when a potential customer is actively searching for a place to eat and spend their money. It should come as no surprise that local SEO has a proven ability to improve in-store sales.

Mobile Optimisation is Just as Important
81 per cent of customers turn to their mobile device to perform a restaurant search. As a result, restaurants that do not have a responsive design that can seamlessly adapt to any size screen, while also including easily clickable links and readable text, are at a huge disadvantage. This applies to both where they rank in search engine results and how mobile users will perceive them. The truth is that when a mobile user experiences any difficulty looking at a restaurant’s website and contact information on their device, they are almost certain to quickly move onto another site.

What Do Customers Want to See on a Restaurant Website?
According to the Open Table survey referenced above:

82 per cent of customers want to be able to check out an online menu (preferably with prices included) before they commit to eating at any restaurant. Keep in mind that it is important to update your online menu anytime you change your in-store menu.

60 per cent of customers appreciate images, but make sure they are high-quality shots. There’s an old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. You may find it is worth spending a little money to hire a professional photographer. After all, great photos could really encourage someone to eat at your restaurant, while lackluster photos could have the complete opposite effect.

Interestingly, 90 per cent of respondents admitted they would appreciate the ability to make a reservation directly through your website, instead of having to place an actual phone call.

65 per cent of respondents reported they would like to be able to find how long your restaurant’s wait time for a table was through your website.

Finally, 61 per cent of customers admitted they would like for daily specials to be made available on your website.

In today’s world, it can be almost impossible for a restaurant to survive, especially when you consider all their competition, without a high-quality website that has been search engine optimised. Finding an SEO company is the easy part but finding the right one that’s going to actually deliver you results is a whole other issue.

The SEO and SEM market is flooded, globally. With overseas companies vying for business from homegrown firms. Just using a simple phrase like SEO consultant London will bring you back thousands of search results. But in truth only a tiny percentage of those companies are going to deliver the results your business needs. So how do you siphon the good from the bad?

The simple answer is real life and proven results from existing businesses that have benefited from the search engine optimisation a company has provided. There are many ways to measure a company but proven results is the preferred method.